BUSINESS TALK

TOP BUSINESS UNIVERSITIES IN THE PHILIPPINES

A lot of schools offer entrepreneurial courses, but here are the top 7 that would be a good investment. If you take masteral it is more expensive.

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1. DE LA SALLE UNIVERSITY

De La Salle University’s Business Management Department believes that the people’s entrepreneurial spirit “is the backbone of any economy.”

 

So in 1983, DLSU-Taft started offering the Bachelor of Science in Commerce with specialization in Entrepreneurship -23 years before the Commission on Higher Education mandated it’s offering in 2005.

 

It also opened the Master in Science in Entrepreneurship program aims to develop entrepreneurs, who are “motivated and knowledgeable in identifying opportunities, preparing business plans and actually starting and managing a business with global perspective and a Filipino heart. Students are required to set up and operate an actual company for at least one year before graduating. An Entrepreneurship Student who belongs to the College of Business and Economics pays an average tuition of P2, 080 per unit on trimestral basis.

 

The school boasts of a balanced roster of academicians, practitioners and entrepreneurs on its faculty, and graduates such as Tony Tiu, founder of AgriNurture, Inc. (ANI), who was nominated in the Ernst and Young Search for the Entrepreneur of the Year award.

“More than the technical competence that our entrepreneurship curriculum provides, we ensure that we attain our vision of an ideal Lassalian entrepreneurship graduate in both the undergraduate and masteral levels as an individual who understands and appreciates his or her competencies and interest, as well as recognizes opportunities for viable business ventures and enterprises,” stresses La Salle’s Business Management Department Chair Emie Sarreal.

What makes DLSU’s program different: seeks to develop entrepreneurs “with global perspective and a Filipino heart.”

 

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2.    ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY

Finding innovative ways of solving social problems is clearly defined in the core vision and mission of Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU). It’s why in January 2007, the Jesuit University began offering social entrepreneurship classes and programs, where students can earn a certificate program for a period of four months for a tuition of approximately P17, 000.

“We offer not only training in terms of setting up or running a business but, more importantly, establishing enterprise with a social purpose,” says Harvey Keh, Ateneo School of Government director for youth leadership and social entrepreneurship.

For three years, around 30 percent of its graduates have already gone into full-time entrepreneurship, says Keh, among them the founders of Rags2Riches and Fundacion Pacita, an eco-tourism social enterprise based in province of Batanes. They cite their mentors from the Ateneo’s experienced faculty including Keh, Atty. Arnel Casanova, Dr. Antonio La Vina and Prof. Lisa Dacanay.

“We are the only one in the country that teaches entrepreneurship in a different way such that the main purpose is not just to earn money, but more importantly, to help in nation-building and solving social problems,” Keh says. “Hence, those who might want to take up entrepreneurship courses should enroll now in our school.”

What makes ADMU’s program different: Seeks to establish businesses “with a social purpose.”

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3.    ASIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

Like their bigger counterparts, micro, small and medium entrepreneurs also need to achieve higher professionalism, business growth and social relevance. To fill that void, the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), through the Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (ACE), began offering Entrepreneurship courses in 1996. Later on, the Executive Education and Lifelong Learning Center (EXCELL) continued what ACE started. It then opened the Master in Entrepreneurship (ME) course in July 1999 and, more recently, the Entrepreneurial MBA (EMBA) through a combination of ‘blended learning” and face-to-face sessions.

 

Accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International, AIM’s Entrepreneurial degree programs “are specifically designed to create superior growth, profit and stability for firms; enable participants to lead their organization through the complexity that comes with growth; and help them develop new vision, values and skills to realize their own and their firms’ full potential,” according to the school’s mission.

To date, the Makati-based institution has already produced over 37,000 alumni from more than 70 countries since its inception came from the ME and EXCELL programs in 2008.

Former Education Secretary Jesli Lapus, Jollibee Foods Corp. president and chief executive Tony Tan Caktiong and SMART Communications Inc. and PLDT president and CEO Napoleon Nazareno are among its successful alumni.

“These are just few of the famous names in the business community listed in our prestigious and active international alumni community. Thanks to our sincere provision of a broad strategic management education that can tear down obstacles to business growth and longevity,” says Mae Poblador, marketing associate of AIM-EXCELL.

What makes AIM different: “Broad strategic management education that can tear down obstacles to business growth and longevity.”

 

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4. SAN BEDA COLLEGE

Realizing the pivotal role of entrepreneurship in nation building and social change, San Beda College (SBC) integrated entrepreneurship courses to its business management program in the early 1990s.

From 1998 onward, the courses evolved into a two-pronged program called BCS Business Management and Entrepreneurship.

In 2001, it was rejuvenated and renamed BS International Business and Entrepreneurial Management (IBEM). Today, the entrepreneurship side of the BS IBEM course is separated from business management and dubbed simply BS Entrepreneurship.

San Beda’s entrepreneurship degree is only offered in the undergraduate level at tuition of roughly P52,000 per semester. Once enrolled, entrepreneurship students are given the opportunity to become members of YES (Young Entrepreneurs Society) National and Junior People Management Association of the Philippines.

Through SBC’s partnership with Robinson’s Corp., they could also take advantage of the Entrep Corner at Robinson’s Galleria to help enhance their entrepreneurial skills. What’s more, the faculty of San Beda’s Department of Business Management and Entrepreneurship are all master’s degree holders.

Among SBC’s Entrepreneurship graduates is Euclid Cezar, who is the owner of Ink More. “With the strengths of our entrepreneurship program, San Beda has been cited by the Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship (Go Negosyo) headed by Joey Concepcion as ‘Youth Entrepreneurship Enabler in 2009’,” says Fr. Anselm Manalastas OSB, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Our school has also been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine three times with regards to our curriculum.”

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5. UNIVERSITY OF ASIA AND THE PACIFIC

Renowned economists Dr. Bernardo Villegas and Fernan Victor Lukban helped institute the entrepreneurship program at the University Of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P). It started when UA&P’s College of Arts and Sciences offered the Bachelor of Arts in Humanities with a special certificate in Entrepreneurial Management Program (ABH_EM) from 1989-1998.

During the school year 1998-1999, the ABH-EM evolved into the Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurial Management Program (BSEM).

“The Philippines needs more entrepreneurs. The EM Program was envisioned to address the lack of orientation of Filipinos towards entrepreneurship.” Dr. Villegas says. “If we start with our intervention early enough, (students) can be god entrepreneurs.”

 

The EM Program is a four-year, three-summer bachelor’s degree program. What makes it cutting edge is its New Business Venture (NBV) Series, a 21-unit core course on business, management and entrepreneurship, which runs across two years and two summers. Students are challenged in NBV to integrate all their knowledge, skills and talent, and use these in establishing a successful business.

Since the EM curriculum demands a three-fold blend of classroom instruction, mentoring intervention and experiential (field) learning, EM program director Ellen Soriano ensures that all UA&P faculty members are flexible and well grounded on various teaching and learning technologies. She says the program has produced 277 graduates since 2001.

Approximately two-thirds are into business – 30 percent are running or expanding their respective family businesses and 37 percent either started their own business or continued with their existing  businesses, “which they successfully put up as a student in compliance with the requirement in their NBV course,” Soriano adds.

Successful businesses established or led by some UA&P graduates are SOLEREX Water Technologies, Inc. (Crystal Clear Purified Drinking Water) and Goodah! Of Che Soler; Victory Liner group of Companies (Jose Marco Del Pilar); Nueva Foods Corp. (Anthony Ng); and Systems Technology Institute (STI), Comm & Sense Inc. and Reyes BBQ through Joseph Tanco.

What makes UA&P’s program stand out: “Envisioned to address the lack of orientation of Filipinos towards entrepreneurship.”

 

 

6.    THE ONE SCHOOL

“Entrepreneurship can help a lot in building a better Philippines. More businesses mean more jobs, and more jobs mean providing livelihood to sustain Filipino families. Teaching the youth how to be an entrepreneur can do wonders not only for themselves as individuals but also for our country.”

This line from The One School executive director Lex Ledesma explains why the university began offering its Bachelor of Science in entrepreneurship program in 2007.

 

The One School is a progressive school pioneering in alternative education. Most of the subjects in its curriculum are tweaked not only to develop creative and critical thinking skills, but also are made relevant to students’ lives and businesses so they gain appreciation of the lessons and are able to apply it in the real world setting.

To enable them think out of the box, the school boasts of its competent faculty members, including Ledesma, Kahlil Bagatsing (Vice president of Make A Wish Philippines), sociology professor Fe Banez and human resources management expert and economist Suzanne Zambrano.

“We won’t say we’re better than other schools, but we’re definitely different. If you’re the type of student who’s looking for a fresh approach to education, then, we’re the school for you,” says Ledesma. “We recognize that every individual has his or her own unique way of thinking and learning, thus, we tailor fit our programs such that each and every student gets a personalized education. Otherwise, we won't have Jessie Suaco and Chase Hui of Spin City, Stacy Rodriguez of Glasnost and Tasha Rodriguez of VitaOils and pro golfer Venjo Reyes Jr. as some of our accomplished graduates.”

What makes The One School different: Programs tailor-fit to give each student’s personalized education.

 

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7.    ENTREPRENEURS SCHOOL OF ASIA

Entrepreneurs School of Asia (ESA) is the first college in Southeast Asia that has advocated entrepreneurship as its core value since it was founded in 1999 by Vivienne Tan, daughter of taipan Lucio Tan – a fashion and technology entrepreneur in her own right – and businessman Joel Santos.

It started a specialist degree in BS Entrepreneurship in 2001 primarily to create more job-makers rather than job-seekers. Since then, it has become one of the leading institutions in the study of social entrepreneurship and innovation in the region, keeping true to its motto of creating “Entrepreneurs for Society.”

ESA’s Bachelor degree curriculum has student mentored in a practical step-by-step approach (learning by doing) toward setting up and managing start-up venture successfully in their final year – a prerequisite for graduation.

The school has a very strong international focus with tie-ups with universities in the United Kingdom, Australia and China, so its students can take advantage of opportunities from the leading economies of the world.

“ESA’s entrepreneurship program is for those who would like to learn to become entrepreneurial and start their own business. As long as they are willing to learn and do the work, they will be guided in starting and running their own venture by the time they graduate,” says Eduardo Silva, ESA director for academics.

What makes ESA different: Takes a step-by-step mentoring approach.(Abad 2012)

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TUITION FEE

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